Topic: Engine Number Thoughts

[Rookster]

Here is an old CB750 motor that has been in my mother's basement for probably 20 years.  I put it there when I pulled it out of an old project.  I had always discounted it as a restamp or illegitimate numbers.  I was over there today and decided to have another look at it.  It looks like these were replacement cases that were stamped by a shop.  The number pad looks factory.  Any ideas?



Scott

[gschuld]

From what I have come to understand Honda dealers did not have any sort of universal stamping dies or procedures for when they replaced the cases(usually after a chain break). So if Honda replaced broken cases with a set of “no stamp” cases(which those certainly appear to be), they should stamp the original engine number with whatever they had on hand to do it.  In my experience, they typically used a regular individual number stamp set. 

However, I find it very unlikely that those cases were restamped by a factory Honda dealer.  For one thing, that’s some pretty sloppy stamping done by what looks to be a sharp center punch or something.  The Honda dealers usually had a basic number stamping set on hand.  But more importantly, the “CB” is missing before the numbers.  I’d be shocked if even the laziest Honda dealer mechanic managed to forget that.

I find it more plausible that a general repair shop or a DIY owner did that at some point.

George

[Don R]

 I own two 1970 blank pad engines. The shops did punch them with 3 dots when the recalls were done. That's a first for me but there are sloppy workers everywhere. I've been told there were no official stamps to use on a replacement. If there were, I'd be paying up for a set.
 I've always wondered why some diecast cases are glass smooth and some have texture like that one.

[seanbarney41]

Well,we know replacement cases often were left unstamped altogether...I have cases that are unstamped too...so at least you know that it was probably never part of a stolen bike, as you can clearly see an old number has never been ground off...

[bryanj]

Just somebody who cant be bothered to buy and/or find proper number stamps, at least they stamped something relatively tidily.

[PeWe]

Number is there, different stamp style